Scottish Parliament

Written Answers

Tuesday 17 August 1999

Scottish Executive

Fisheries

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will grant, for all scallop vessels, a four week extension to the seasonal closure which is due to operate from 23 August 1999 until 1 November 1999, and whether it will ensure that any necessary procedures to obtain such an extension are carried out before 23 August 1999.

Mr John Home Robertson: The Scottish Executive is considering a request to extend the exception to the seasonal inshore closure on mobile gear fishing between Lochmaddy south to Barra Head which applies from March until October. The exception applies to scallop dredging between 1 May and 24 August. The request comes in light of the current ban on scallop fishing off the West Coast due to the detection of high levels of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning (ASP). It is however unclear whether the ASP ban will be lifted before 24 August. Particular consideration will also require to be given to those fishing in the area after 24 August using other types of fishing gear.

Health

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to utilise the criteria for the deprivation index in the allocation of NHS resources.

Susan Deacon: The conclusions of the National Review of Resource Allocation for the NHS in Scotland were published on 15 July, in the form of the report ‘Fair Shares For All’. In order to give Members and the general public sufficient time to consider the Review’s recommendations I have decided that the report should be subject to consultation for a period of four months from the date of publication. The Parliamentary Committee for Health and Community Care will be briefed on the Review and I look forward to hearing their views on some of the key issues. A copy of the Review’s report has been sent to each member and has been laid in the Parliamentary Library.

  The Review’s remit asked it to bring forward recommendations with the aim of promoting fair access to healthcare, based on the health needs of each area Health Board. This has involved the use of a wide range of relevant deprivation indicators in order to assess needs associated with deprivation. The full list of the indicators used by the Review are included in the report.

Health

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it considers the care records of the Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland to be health records and therefore subject to the Access to Health Records Act 1990.

Susan Deacon: No. The care records of the Mental Welfare Commission do not fall within the definition of "health records" as contained within the Access to Health Records Act 1990, with the exception of review of detention reports prepared by Commission doctors.

Health

Alasdair Morgan (Galloway and Upper Nithsdale) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to request the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland to conduct a separate review from that of the Chief Medical Officer for the UK of the Beef-on-the-bone ban and, if not, whether it will explain the reason for this.

Susan Deacon: The Scottish Executive will be guided by advice from the Chief Medical Officer for Scotland when reaching a view on the Beef Bones Regulations. But there is free movement of live cattle and meat within the UK. In addition the main market for our high quality cattle and beef is in England. When considering the Beef Bones Regulations it would therefore not be sensible to ignore the position in the rest of the United Kingdom.

Health

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what criteria exist for the provision of infertility treatment in Scotland, whether these criteria are the same throughout Scotland and, if they are not, what action it intends to take to ensure that the highest standards and levels of availability in the provision of this treatment apply throughout Scotland.

Susan Deacon: Infertility services are divided into 3 levels. Level 1 services are provided by a General Practitioner while Level 2 services, involving more advanced investigation and treatment, are normally provided by a gynaecologist with a specialist interest in infertility within a District General Hospital. Level 3 infertility services are complex and involve high-technology procedures which include, for example, In-Vitro Fertilisation (IVF) and Intra-Cytoplasmic Semen Insemination (ICSI). These services are provided at 4 centres in Scotland.

  Level 1 and 2 infertility services are provided by all Health Boards. Individual Health Boards determine the provision of Level 3 services on the basis of clinical need for patients who meet locally determined criteria. The criteria varies from Health Board to Health Board but includes an upper age limit on the age of the woman, minimum duration of unexplained infertility and restrictions relating to existing children.

  An Expert Advisory Group on Infertility Services in Scotland has undertaken a review of the clinical management of infertility services with a particular focus on establishing a model specification for infertility care in Scotland. The Expert Group has reported to the Chief Medical Officer in Scotland and to the Clinical Resources and Audit Group. The Report is currently being considered.

Health

Mr John Swinney (North Tayside) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) facilities are available to patients in the Tayside area, the location of the facilities, how long the facilities have been in place, and how the current provision compares to the provision of MRI facilities in the periods 1996-1997 and 1997-1998.

Susan Deacon: Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) for patients from across Tayside is provided by 2 MRI scanners at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee: one machine was installed in November 1998; and the other was redeployed in January 1999 as part of the transfer of services from Dundee Royal Infirmary.

  In 1997 and 1998 there was one scanner at Dundee Royal Infirmary and a mobile MRI unit in service one day each fortnight in the former Angus NHS Trust area. The mobile unit was withdrawn in April 1999 after the installation of the new scanner at Ninewells Hospital.

Health

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question SW1-292 by Susan Deacon on 29 July 1999, to specify the projected income from charges under the Road Traffic (NHS Charges) Act 1999 and to which budget such income will be allocated.

Susan Deacon: It is estimated that the new charging arrangements will eventually increase road traffic accident income to the NHS in Scotland to around £10 million per annum. The previous arrangements saw only £1 million per annum being recouped.

  Once collected, the income is remitted directly to the NHS Trust or Trusts that provided the treatment for the accident.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when testing for the level of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning was first instituted and how frequently such tests have subsequently been carried out.

Susan Deacon: Testing for Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning was first carried out in 1997 as part of a trial and has been included in the algal toxin monitoring programme since 1998. ASP testing is carried out weekly from April to October and monthly thereafter.

Health

Fergus Ewing (Inverness East, Nairn and Lochaber) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will lift the ban on scallop fishing in areas presently affected by the ban which have shown consistently low levels of Amnesic Shellfish Poisoning.

Susan Deacon: The ban on scallop fishing will be lifted when toxin levels are consistently below the legal limit and scientific and medical advice indicate that it is safe to do so.

Housing

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many pensioners living in local authority accommodation in Scotland (a) meet their rent without any payment from the DSS and (b) have all or part of their rent paid by the DSS, and to specify the total value of this assistance.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Information on the number of pensioners living in local authority housing who are in receipt of housing benefit is not held centrally.

Justice

Roseanna Cunningham (Perth) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, with reference to The Stephen Lawrence Inquiry: An Action Plan for Scotland (Recommendation 7), by what date is the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities due to report on their review of ethnic and cultural balance in Police Authorities.

Mr Jim Wallace: It will be for my Steering Group to decide an appropriate programme of work and target dates. In doing so, we will take into account responses to the consultation exercise on our action plan.

Police

Mr Keith Raffan (Mid Scotland and Fife) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers are employed in each force area for the current financial year and what were the equivalent figures in each of the past eight years.

Mr Jim Wallace: The information is shown in the table.

   

  Number of Police Officers

  

Force

31/3/99



31/3/93



31/3/94



31/3/95



31/3/96



31/3/97



31/3/98



31/3/99




Central 
Scotland Police

645 


653 


658 


656 


657 


686 


703 


719 



Dumfries 
and Galloway Constabulary

385 


385 


386 


391 


390 


412 


439 


437 



Fife 
Police

790 


790 


791 


789 


790 


831 


855 


846 



Grampian 
Police

1,161 


1,190 


1,193 


1,194 


1,172 


1,173 


1,193 


1,249 



Lothian 
and Borders Police

2,534 


2,563 


2,558 


2,539 


2,534 


2,691 


2,691 


2,615 



Northern 
Constabulary

653 


649 


658 


649 


640 


649 


657 


660 



Strathclyde 
Police

6,763 


6,768 


6,860 


7,014 


7,216 


7,231 


7,299 


7,135 



Tayside 
Police

1,053 


1,097 


1,070 


1,091 


1,113 


1,116 


1,143 


1,149 



Total

13,984



14,095



14,174



14,323



14,512



14,789



14,980



14,810





  What these figures do not show is the huge increase in support staff over this period when numbers rose from 3,404 in March 1992 to 4,661 in March 1999 an increase of 37%.

Transport

Mr Lloyd Quinan (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to improve safety on the A82.

Sarah Boyack: A number of minor schemes have recently been completed on the A82 and a further 14 road safety schemes have been approved for completion in this financial year. In addition the Base Railway Camp Bridge strengthening scheme at Fort William is expected to commence on site in September 1999. A Route Accident Reduction Plan (RARP) has already been carried out on the majority of the route with the section between Balloch and Tarbet due to report in the Autumn. RARP measures which are under consideration are aimed at introducing a consistent regime of signing and carriageway markings throughout the length of the route.

  Additional road safety improvements which include traffic calming measures within villages may be implemented on the A82 subject to competing priorities on the trunk road network and funds being available.